Willoughby and Willoughby Hills will see new traffic signals and SR 91 to I-90 turn lane

Garfield Heights (Thursday, June 3, 2010) – Beginning today, Thursday, June 3, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Perram Electric Inc. will begin a project - funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - to upgrade traffic signals and add a turn lane on SR 91 in the Cities of Willoughby and Willoughby Hills.

The traffic signal upgrades will take place along U.S. 6, SR 91 and SR 84.This project will install light-emitting diode (LED) traffic signal heads, new wiring and an emergency preemption system, which enables authorized emergency vehicles to activate, detect and select signalized intersections for momentary right-of-way.

The addition of a right turn lane from northbound SR 91 to eastbound I-90 is also part of this project.Lane closures are expected during off-peak hours.

Work will take place four to five days a week – Monday through Friday – from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.Traffic will be maintained throughout the project utilizing flaggers.Only minimal delays are expected.

Motorists will notice signs at this construction site, announcing “Putting America to Work: Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”Similar orange-and-green signs have been erected when work begins at stimulus-funded projects across Ohio.

As of the end of April, ODOT and its local partners have awarded contracts on more than 335 different stimulus-funded transportation construction projects worth more than $882 million. So far, 71 stimulus projects have been completed on Ohio's roadways and bridges, providing safer travel for Ohio's citizens and businesses.

Just as important as the number of projects is the number of paychecks these stimulus investments are helping to write. Since the start of the Recovery Act, workers on stimulus-funded transportation projects have clocked in more than a million work hours on these jobs and have so far earned more than $33 million in paychecks. ODOT expects that number to more than double by the end of this summer.

All dates and times are approximate and weather dependent.For statewide construction and road condition information visit www.BuckeyeTraffic.org.

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Project Facts:

Project: Upgrade of traffic signals along U.S. 6, SR 91 and SR 84 and the addition of a right turn lane from northbound SR 91 to eastbound I-90 in the Cities of Willoughby and Willoughby Hills.

Contractor: Perram Electric Inc.

Bid Amount:$839,678

Completion Date: November 30, 2010

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For more information contact: The ODOT District 12 Communications Office at (216) 584-2006